In the pharmaceutical, transplant and food industries, insulated containers are widely used to maintain the temperature of shipped materials near refrigeration levels, thereby promoting preservation of the material. Such containers can be made from a number of materials including expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), urethane foam, vacuum insulated panels (VIP) or other insulating materials. The cost of containers appropriate to maintain a shipment between 2 and 8° C. (i.e., at refrigeration levels, as needed for biological products, food, medical products and others) or near room temperature, can be relatively high, as the containers are only of particular sizes, and generally cannot be well-matched to the payload size. In addition, the containers themselves are heavy and large, and, if made of standard foam materials (e.g., EPS), are not readily recyclable, generating disposal problems, additional costs and environmental concerns. Re-using the larger foam containers would therefore be advantageous, as it would eliminate the recycling concerns. Additionally, if more boxes (which conform to the dimensions of the payload more closely) are used in the interior of such larger containers, there would be additional insulation for the payload.